US interior designers Wilson Associates is to open a regional office in Dubai.

The company, which has worked on some of the most iconic projects in the Gulf, including the One&Only Royal Mirage in Dubai, said the new office will support the firm’s existing projects in the Middle East and Africa.

The company said it intends to develop new projects especially in the field of hospitality.

“The Middle East is leading the global race to design truly outstanding architectural landmarks, and we want to continue to be an important part of that story, just as we have for the past two decades,” said Wilson Associates’ CEO Olivier Chavy.

“With more than 400 hotels set to be delivered over the next five years, we believe our services will be very much in demand,” added Chavy.

Operating in the Middle East for more than 20 years, Wilson Associates has designed interiors at the Aramani Hotel and One&Only Royal Mirage in Dubai, the Shangri-La Hotels in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Oman and The St Regis in Doha, Qatar.

The Dubai office will become Wilson Associates’ base of operations in expanding and supporting the firm’s growing list of clients and projects in the Middle East and Africa, especially as the region prepares to host the World Expo 2020 and 2022’s FIFA World Cup football finals, Chavy said.

“In the Gulf region, hospitality is not a mere economic strategy or commercial opportunity, it is a defining attribute and a cherished legacy,” added Firas Alsalih, Wilson Associates’ managing director for the Middle East and Africa.